I also loved the marbles analogy.
Coming soon an interview with OSC.
Shawn
quote:
I personally love red ink and I think that any writer who is not respectful of editorial critique is doomed.
They are doomed to their own mediocrity because without the constructive critique, they will never grow.
I also loved the marbles analogy.
We hope to do more live IM interviews, I have one with James D. MacDonald coming up (live IM) and I am hoping Kathleen will do hers that way as well. Saddly, OSC didn't--we were not doing them that way when I sent my questions to him.
Shawn
There are science fiction writers who have had a problem with his success and his philosophies. There have been reviewers who have interpreted his work in totally off-the-wall ways. There have been members of his church who have anonymously reported him to church leaders for writing science fiction or for the way he has written it.
<shrug> I'd prefer to be careful under such circumstances.
I guess I always wondered what people would make of him for his views and stories. "Saints" certainly pushed the envelope, and did "Stone Tables". I myself am a member of that same faith and would be apalled that someone would try to cause trouble for him because of some story or comment of his. Just shows that intollerance can be found anywhere.
I mean, the worst offense I can imagine he's committed is to vote Democrat!!
Sorry.
Anyway, I read all his reviews and articles and stories and other comments and I feel I've gotten what I feel is a pretty decent picture of the man and I guess my take would be that jealousy overtakes some folks, for jealousy is the only thing that would explain it.
On a personal note, his author's note at the end of "Shadow Puppets" (maybe it was "Shadow of the Hegemon"...can't recall off hand) where he spoke about his kids was very touching. That alone elevates my regard for that man above many others.
There are some truly narrow minded people in the world, OSC is definitely not among them.
I mean...he has a religion he is faithful to, a family and strong sense of moral and ethical values, loves his kids dearly, excercises concern about our political climate (which DOES matter...if only every american were so concerned), provides what appears to me to be a great deal of civic support and entertainment, writes exceptionally well and does much to aid those of us who wish to do likewise, and stands firm in his convictions....
Why do people not like him?
My 2 pennies.
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Why do people not like him?
On the other side, artists are often shunned by closed-minded members of their religion who don't understand the first thing about art. In the Catholic world, authors such as Graham Greene and Flannery O'Connor have been ridiculed by "conservative" Catholics for betraying the faith. I'm sure OSC has suffered through the same thing.
[This message has been edited by Balthasar (edited April 01, 2004).]
quote:
I mean...he has a religion he is faithful to, a family and strong sense of moral and ethical values, loves his kids dearly, excercises concern about our political climate (which DOES matter...if only every american were so concerned), provides what appears to me to be a great deal of civic support and entertainment, writes exceptionally well and does much to aid those of us who wish to do likewise, and stands firm in his convictions....Why do people not like him?
Exactly what planet do you live on, and can I get a ride there? If you had set out to compose a list of reasons that people will hate and envy someone, I don't think you could have gotten much different.
My trailing question in that post was not really one that required answering. It was simply meant to point out that qualities which should be praisworthy and virtuous and worthy of note often become the traits other people most hate about us.
We are a strange form of mamal, we humans.
I don't know if any of you hang out at Ornery.com, but it's a testament to his tolerance for opposing viewpoints that he keeps the site up. Almost everything he writes (especially if it's politically oriented) gets ripped to shreds over there. It's not often pretty.
Of course, I understand he doesn't read the forums there, either.
I don't believe that there are ever concrete reasons to hate a person. That's partly my Christian outlook talking, and partly...well, yeah, pretty much tracible to the Christian thing.
To hate, in a Christian sense, is essentially to desire that somebody become a worse person. There is simply no logical reason to desire such a thing.
If you define "hate" as merely loathing or despising something, then sure, it makes sense to hate all humans. It doesn't make sense to not hate any humans.
Of course, people tend to use the word both ways, with diametrically opposed consequences. In one sense of the word, it is evil to hate anyone, in the other, it is evil to not hate everyone.
I pick the Christian definition of the word because, frankly, it makes more sense to talk about how hate is bad that way. In the other sense of the word, hate is such a positive good that lacking in hate would have to be considered the most grevious sin.
As writers (and confident and competent people), we tend to admire those who speak their minds and stand up for their strong convictions.
People that do not share our traits tend to be threatened by those qualities.
That's what I believe anyway, so it will probably turn up as a theme in my stories.
I am just happy OSC keeps on going despite the bad rap he gets. THAT is a definition of heroism.